The General Manager for Yellowhammer Brewing, Ethan Couch, said the idea all came from an employee.

Posted: Mar 23, 2020 6:09 PM

Updated: Mar 23, 2020 10:52 PM

Posted By: Ashley Carter

A Huntsville brewery is shifting its focus away from craft beer and joining the fight against the spread of Coronavirus. They're now making hand sanitizer for police officers, health care workers and more.

The general manager for Yellowhammer Brewing, Ethan Couch, said the idea all came from an employee.

"I was like well that's going to be pretty hard to do we're not used to doing that," Couch said.

It was his initial response when a team member brought the idea to him that they should start making hand sanitizer in their distillery. Alabama rules restricting indoor seating diminished the need for some equipment to keep making beer.

And, after the World Health Organization put out the recipe and the federal government opened up the licensing for them to make it, Couch wasted no time in answering the call for help.

"It was like a natural transition at that point," he said.

However, it won't be available for everyone. Couch said it will most likely only be produced for people who need it the most

"I don't think we're going to provide to small amount of customers, like a personal customers just because the need by the health care professionals and the police departments and the state agencies that are having to work right now and are desperate for it," he said.

The sanitizers will be delivered in bulk to these agencies... couch said yellowhammer's first batch of sanitizer was pretty much claimed 24 hours after its availability was announced.

"It's shocking how much the sanitizers in need," he said.

Couch said he wants to start distributing the sanitizers by Friday. He said right now they have a license to make it until June, but depending on how long the Coronavirus crisis and the shortage of the sanitzers last.